“The System” (German: Das System) was a derogatory term used by the Nazis to denote contemptuously the Weimar Republic and its institutions.

In Nazi publications and propaganda, the word was used in a number of compounds: for example, the period from the German Revolution of 1918–1919 to the Nazi seizure of power (German: Machtergreifung) in 1933 was called “The time of the System” (German: Systemzeit) and political opponents of the Nazis from this period were called “System parties”, “System politicians” or the “System press”.

After the Nazi takeover, the term was quickly adopted to everyday use.

Another Nazi phrase used for the republic and its politicians was “the November criminals” or “the regime of the November criminals” (German: November-Verbrecher), referring to the month the republic was founded in.